Stumbling Block is a five piece, west London based Traditional and Early Music ensemble specialising in folk dance tunes and songs from the British Isles and Europe.

 

Ashley and John began playing together as a mandolin and guitar duo in 2009 having discovered a mutual interest in folk instrumental music. They initially busked at local Sunday markets building a repertoire with a particular focus on oft-neglected English folk and Morris dance tunes and then began to include the occasional song for variety.

 

Emma was recruited to play flute in 2010 adding an extra texture to the sound and the trio adopted the name Stumbling Block. They continued busking but also appeared regularly at the Sunday Music events held weekly at the Headstone Manor barn in Harrow and occasionally played other performances.

 

Violinist Felicity, who John knew through the local jazz scene, sometimes sat in at the busking sessions bringing her flair for improvisation that added a further element to the group’s sound and she eventually became a formal member in 2015. By this time the band’s repository of material had expanded to include tunes and songs from the wider British Isles and Brittany.

 

Caroline also joined in 2015 which, with her background in music from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods plus an impressive collection of recorders, has enabled the ensemble to broaden its repertoire still further to incorporate tunes written between 1250 and 1750 from further afield across Europe.